noun. A fat, such as butter or lard, used to make cake or pastry light or flaky.

noun. A shortened form of something, as a word.

noun. The act of one that shortens.

noun. The act or process of becoming shorter.

noun. In cookery, lard, butter, or other substance used to make pastry short or flaky.

noun. The act of making or becoming short or shorter.

noun. That which renders pastry short or friable, as butter, lard, etc.

noun. Solid fat, such as butter, lard or hydrogenated vegetable oil, used to make shortcrust pastry.

noun. Verbal noun form of shorten.

verb. Present participle of shorten.

noun. fat such as butter or lard used in baked goods

noun. act of decreasing in length

"Since the early 19th century, the term shortening has been used to mean fats or oils that “shorten” a dough, or weaken its structure and thus make the final product more tender or flaky."

edible fat  

shorten